Media's Latest Propaganda Campaign: IOC Hates America!

Chicago was the first contending city denied the right to host the 2016 Olympics and ABC broke-in on The View to announce the disappointing news. However, they weren't done. By the 5:30 broadcast, Charles Gibson and his cohorts had devised a propaganda campaign which accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of anti-American sentiment and raised questions as to whether or not the denial was a "poke in the eye" to President Obama's administration.

Wha-at?

Chicago was a last minute addition to the roster and before it threw its hat into the ring, Rio de Janeiro was the leading contender. As real experts noted prior to this - read: "Experts uninterested in stirring anti-Olympics sentiment through a baseless propaganda campaign spurred by greed and revenge" - the Olympic Games have never been hosted in South America and do not have much support there. Not only will this boost the country's economy, it will expand the Olympics' worldwide exposure and (hopefully) popularity and support.

Expanding the fanbase is a key concern for all businesses and events, and the Olympics are no different in this regard. Not only is it important to get more fans worldwide, with the recent bankruptcies of so many Olympics sponsors in America and Europe, it is important for the organization to attract sponsors from other countries. Even if their corporate support in these countries rebounds in future years (it will), attracting new sponsors and a wide array of financial backers is another key concern for the Olympic Games.

South America needs an economic boost, as well as a world reputation makeover, and the Olympic Games could go a long way toward providing this. Not only will the Games bring an influx of international visitors, Rio's handling of the events and the buildings and arena(s) constructed for the Games will continue to draw tourists and host events for years to come. This single opportunity is a huge step in the development of a country known largely for prostitution.

Lest we forget, the seas of empty seats at the last American-hosted Olympics was as hot a topic as the events themselves, and there were a lot of Chicagoans who were against hosting the Games there, as well - almost as many as were for it! Maybe there is some anti-American sentiment amongst the IOC - and Europeans (and the rest of the world), in general (why wouldn't there be and why shouldn't we expect it?!) - and maybe this did factor into the IOC's decision, but it sure as hell wasn't the primary motivation.

The IOC knew Chicago would only provide as much support as was necessary to get the job done, with an eye toward maximizing revenue and return for Chicago. The media would routinely feature "opposing viewpoints" of those who were against the idea in the first place, and when the Games failed to attract a larger audience, these same outlets would blame "anti-Americanism" in Europe, the threat of terrorist attacks from the Middle East, Communist opposition from the East, ad infinitum. And the temper tantrum thrown by ABC News proves this.

How can we expect the rest of the world to stop thinking of America as one big, collective asshole when the only representatives of our country with whom they are familiar are a bunch of assholes?

Rio needs the Olympic Games far more than Chicago and will support it much more fervently than America - something the Olympic Games need and the IOC surely knew; not only does Rio deserve this opportunity, its people will actually appreciate it. America was only interested in the tourism and revenues, where South America sees the Olympics as the great cultural event they are.

© C Harris Lynn, 2009